Newsletter: September 2025

Folks,

Personally, I regularly fail the test that Margaret Mead sets above – and it is my lifelong mission to close the gap between what I say, what I do, and what I say I do.  

Professionally, I am proud to work in an industry and organisation that strives for zero dissonance between those things.  

ICMM’s new member admissions process is one way we do that. Any company is welcome to join ICMM as long as they commit to applying the Mining Principles and are already largely doing so.

It isn’t me or the other CEOs who get to decide – an Independent Panel reviews each application, conducts extensive diligence and visits their site(s). The process takes months, sometimes years – and it is tough. That’s why most companies who seek membership are not successful in their first attempt.

And it is why I’m so pleased to welcome not one but two new members to ICMM in recent weeks – Hindustan Zinc Limited and Maaden. These are our first members from India and the Middle East respectively, which personally fills me with enormous pride.  

It also kickstarts a period of change at ICMM, because membership is reciprocal. The knowledge and experience we absorb from new members compels us to evolve too. And as we grow, the benefits accrue. It’s why I’m confident that Hindustan Zinc and Maaden will make us better and stronger.  

Unfortunately for Arun Misra, CEO of Hindustan Zinc, however, the admission process coincided with preparation for a different kind of endurance event – the World’s Deepest Marathon – so he has been roped into running that as well. I told you we set a high bar for membership!

And it really isn’t long before we depart for Sweden to attempt the deepest marathon ever run. In total 60 of us will descend 1,120 metres below sea level and run 42.2km in total silence and darkness. We’re aiming to raise $1 million for two amazing charities in the process – BecomingX Foundation, which provides skills and education to young people in Africa, and Wild At Heart Foundation, which funds and supports animal welfare projects. If you’d like to support us, the link is: https://worldsdeepestmarathon.raiselysite.com/donate

If that wasn’t enough to squeeze into one newsletter, we’ve also just launched our Global Mining Dataset, the first instalment of a new project that addresses some of the most fundamental questions in our industry: how many mines, smelters, refineries and processing plants are actually out there, where are they located, and what do they produce. Here’s the answer: https://www.icmm.com/en-gb/research/data/2025/global-mining-dataset.

Until next time.

Warmly,
Ro

Features

ICMM publishes first Global Mining Dataset

ICMM has launched the Global Mining Dataset – the most comprehensive public overview of mining and metals facilities to date. It maps 8,508 mines, smelters, and refineries worldwide, drawn from a broader internal record of 15,188 large-scale facilities producing 47 commodities.

Key findings:

• China, Australia, and the US host 45% of facilities.

• Mining and metallurgy are often regionally separated; China leads with 426 metallurgical facilities.

• oal, gold, copper, and iron ore are the most represented primary commodities by number of mines, with coal mines comprising 43 per cent of all mines.

The Dataset represents the first output of ICMM’s Global Mining Data Project. A multi-year initiative to tackle the sector’s fragmented and paywalled information landscape, providing trusted, accessible baselines for evidence-based policymaking, sustainability monitoring, and supply chain accountability.

Read the press release here.

GTMI announces diverse board to drive tailings safety

The Global Tailings Management Institute (GTMI) – of which ICMM is a co-founder – has appointed its inaugural board of directors, with Mark Cutifani, former CEO of Anglo American, as Chair and Vicente Mello, Senior Vice President at AECOM, as Deputy Chair.  

The 12-member board will oversee implementation and conformance with the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management, promoting safety, accountability, and continuous improvement in tailings management worldwide. Providing diverse stakeholder representation, it ensures a broad range of perspectives will inform decisions critical to safer and more socially responsible mining practices.  

With the board now established, GTMI will focus on developing its technical committee, assurance framework, and training and accreditation programmes to support global compliance with the GISTM. Learn more about the GTMI Board and its work here.

Hindustan Zinc becomes ICMM’s first Indian member

ICMM welcomes Hindustan Zinc Limited – the world’s largest and India’s only integrated zinc producer – as its 25th company member. The company underwent a rigorous independent assessment against ICMM’s Mining Principles, with its membership endorsed by ICMM’s Council based on the recommendation of the Independent Expert Review Panel (IERP).  

The IERP recognised Hindustan Zinc’s leadership in tailings management, diversity, equity and inclusion, circularity, and decarbonisation.

Read the full announcement here.

Maaden becomes ICMM’s first Middle Eastern member

ICMM has welcomed Maaden (Saudi Arabian Mining Company) as its 26th company member – and its first from the Middle East.

Maaden underwent a similarly rigorous assessment. The review positively highlighted Maaden’s governance, forward-looking strategy on DEI, sustainability management systems, and ethical business practices.

With operations spanning aluminium, gold, copper, phosphates, and fertilisers, Maaden is positioning mining as a key pillar of Saudi Arabia’s economy. Its inclusion brings new regional expertise and perspectives to ICMM’s global drive for responsible mining.

Read the full announcement here.

Mining for a nature-positive future

Mining provides the materials for the green transition, but must protect habitats, water, and air while cutting carbon. ICMM members are leading the way, guided by the 2024 Kunming-Montreal commitments and ICMM’s Good Practice Guide on No Net Loss or Net Gain of Biodiversity, notes Emma Gagen in an article published in Nature Reviews Biodiversity Read the article here.

Consolidated Mining Standard Initiative Governance Model published

This month, ICMM, The Copper Mark, Mining Association of Canada and World Gold Council, Partners of the Consolidated Mining Standard Initiative (CMSI), published the CMSI Governance Model.

This is a significant milestone for the CMSI towards a diverse, independent Board with multi-stakeholder participation to oversee the Standard and its implementation. A public, open call for applications for Board nominations will follow.

Once finalised, existing members of ICMM, World Gold Council and MAC, and participants of The Copper Mark are expected to transition and adopt the Standard. This broad adoption would give the Standard the widest coverage of any voluntary mining standard to date, with implementation anticipated to include almost 100 mining companies across approximately 600 facilities in around 60 countries over time.

Learn more here.

Connect With Us

FT Live Energy Transition Summit
New Delhi, India • 17 September 2025

ICMM’s Ro Dhawan, will speak on a panel titled Critical minerals and metals: Optimising the value chain from mining to refining at the FT Energy Transition India Summit 2025. The discussion will focus on securing a reliable supply of critical minerals, strengthening domestic value chains, and navigating global trade dynamics. More information can be found here.

New York Climate Week
New York City, United States • 22–28 September 2025

ICMM will participate in several closed-door, high-level engagements contributing to critical conversations on the role of mining in enabling a net-zero, climate-resilient future. Highlights include:

• 23 September | Powering the Transition: Finance, Energy, and Enablers for a Low-Carbon Future
  Co-hosted by ICMM, IFC, and GHD, this executive roundtable will explore enabling conditions to decarbonise mineral supply chains at scale.
• 25 September | IFA/APCO Leadership Roundtable – Bridging Divides in a Fragmented World
  We will join leaders from business, government, and civil society to discuss innovation and resilience in driving long-term climate and development outcomes.

More information can be found here.